Izumi, dispatched from the Sumie family as part of the strategic alliance, truly became her greatest supporter. Whenever she clashed with her father, he stood between them. When she was wrong, he gently guided her back.
Through his kindness, Hakua finally understood:
Her father hadn’t wanted to seek outside help.
He’d simply done what was necessary to keep the company from being left behind—to protect the employees who devoted their lives to it.
Once she realized that, she grew closer to her father.
And as she matured, his harsh words (“Just focus on your studies”) faded away—
(That’s why he’s angry about the broken engagement… But the fact he hasn’t stopped the situation makes me wonder—does Father have some plan?)
Lost in thought, Hakua absentmindedly glanced out the window.
“Maybe I should get some fresh air…”
Hakua quietly slid open the living room window.
Stepping onto the balcony in her slippers, a lukewarm breeze brushed against her skin. The hum of the air conditioner’s outdoor unit felt intrusive in the otherwise silent night.
(Huh?)
The light was still on in the neighboring room—Izumi’s.
Normally, he’d be asleep by now, so this was unexpected.
Hakua gaze drifted toward it…
“Hakua-nee.”
“——!?”
Izumi’s face was right there.
He had also stepped onto the balcony, gazing blankly at the nightscape.
“Oh, Izumi-kun…”
Memories from earlier made Hakua cheeks flush. Trying not to let her flustered state show, Hakua forced a calm tone.
“Can’t sleep?”
“Yeah, well…”
He sounded a little down…
No, maybe I was imagining it. He must just be tired—working all morning, then dealing with those two causing chaos in the afternoon.
“Hehe. Those two are such a handful, aren’t they?”
“…Yeah.”
A faint discomfort settled between them.
The air between them felt heavy, stagnant. After spending so much time with him, Hakua could recognize it—an uneasy, ominous premonition.
(…What is it? Did I do something awkward?)
But Hakua couldn’t think of anything.
…No, wait—there was that thing from earlier. Remembering what she’d been wearing, Hakua’s face burned bright red.
(NOOOOOO! How could I forget!? Even if it was just in the moment, that was straight-up perverted!!)
“No-holds-barred.”
A convenient excuse.
But the trap was this—memories linger. Phrases like “Let’s forget our usual roles and say whatever we want!” are nothing but traps to ensnare the young!
“Uh, um, Izumi-kun? About earlier… that was all Meina’s—”
“…!”
Izumi flinched.
“…Not Akeboshi-san, then?”
“Huh?”
Hakua blinked in confusion.
She didn’t understand. Because Meina was Meina—Akeboshi-san?
(——!?)
Hakua froze.
Right. To Izumi, she and Meina were meeting for the first time. So why were they acting so familiar?
“Oh, uh, we talked earlier and just clicked! Hehe, it’s like we’ve known each other since childhood.”
“I see.”
Her hasty excuse… nothing particularly suspicious.
Sure, they were supposed to be strangers, but for girls, this was within acceptable limits.
—At least, it would have been… if Izumi didn’t already know.
“Um, Hakua-nee…”
“Hm? What is it?”
When Izumi turned to face her, Hakua’s breath caught.
His expression was cold. Pained.
She had seen that face before.
Years ago—when the Sumie family officially named his younger sister as the heir.
The face of a boy who had desperately worked to meet his parents’ expectations… only to have his existence rejected.
Hakua understood immediately.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Izumi beat her to it.
“Meina… is the daughter of Akeboshi-san, head secretary of the Shiragiku family, right?”
“…!?”
Hakua’s words died in her throat.
Her thoughts, nearly swept away by emotion, scrambled for a calm response. Izumi wasn’t guessing—he knew.
Which meant the only way to deny it was—
“Uh, well…”
—There wasn’t one.
Well, she could have tried to deflect. But this was Izumi. He wasn’t the type to accept shallow excuses.
It wasn’t about trust.
He’d been raised to see through lies.
Truth and falsehood were two sides of the same coin.
Where there was light, there was shadow. They coexisted.
He knew that. That’s why—even knowing Hakua had her own shadows—Izumi had still trusted her.
He believed her shadows would never turn against him.
But there was one thing that shattered that belief.
Hakua had only told a handful of people that Meina was connected to the Shiragiku family.
Even in front of Izumi, she had deliberately acted like they were strangers.
Why?
Because there was a reason Izumi couldn’t find out.
That reason was in his next words.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
“Why did you bring someone from the Shiragiku family close to me… now of all times?”
“…………”
A suffocating pressure crushed Hakua’s chest.
This was exactly what she had feared.
The Shiragiku and Sumie families were massive—too massive.
And in large corporations, factions clashed endlessly beneath the surface.
The idea that everyone thinks the same and aims for the same goal—such an ideal doesn’t exist.There are factions splitting into two, three,and countless groups secretly fighting each other over their own interests.
In that world, the top could never waver.
That’s why—when his sister was named heir—Izumi left.
To avoid becoming a spark of conflict.
To stay away from factions that still sought to use him.
He chose an ordinary life for the sake of the majority’s happiness.
…But no one could truly be happy being rejected by their own family.
Hakua had wanted to fill that void.
To ease his loneliness.
But her meddling had backfired.
By using Meina—someone tied to the Shiragiku family—she had made it seem like she was manipulating him for power.
(Think of something… anything to smooth this over…!)
…But there was nothing.
Well, maybe there was. If she explained properly, maybe Izumi—kind Izumi—would have accepted it.
—On the surface.
Things would go back to normal.
But deep down? She’d never know.
Truth and lies.
Light and shadow.
Superficial words and empty smiles.
Handing him a lunchbox in the morning.
Getting it back empty at night.
“Thanks, it was delicious.”
But—had he really eaten it?
“I’ll make it again.”
She’d smile, and he’d watch her with gentle eyes.
But who was he really seeing?
“That’s not it…!”
Her voice trembled weakly.
Not as the [heir to a global empire].
Not as the [Ice Princess] revered at school.
Just as Hakua, she desperately searched for the right words—
“That’s not it…!”
But all she found were pleading, desperate ones.
And she knew—it wasn’t enough.
Izumi lowered his eyes, sadness flickering across his face, then turned back toward his room.
“Goodnight… Shiragiku-hime.”
“……!”
Hakua’s hand shot out to stop him—but froze midair, trembling.
If she just told him how she really felt, maybe he’d understand.
But she couldn’t.
Not like this.
She couldn’t say, “Because I love you.”
Because she loved him, she had always stayed by his side.
Because she loved him, she made his lunches every day.
Because she loved him, she endured that embarrassing cosplay.
…Because she loved him, she had taken advantage of his loneliness to play the role of his “big sister.”
…Because she loved him, she had moved next door to watch over his private life.
…Because she loved him, she had used the Shiragiku family’s connections—ignoring his feelings—to secure her victory without getting hurt.
Who would be happy hearing that?
Hakua realized her mistake.
No—not just now.
She had chosen wrong from the very beginning.
A year ago, when she moved here and surprised him—
She should have said:
“Because I love you, I chased after you!”
The moment she failed to say those words, this outcome was inevitable.
Large tears spilled from Hakua’s eyes.
The night was silent.
Lost beneath the hum of the air conditioner, her quiet sobs lingered—unending.
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